The 2026-27 season marks Riley Colvard's fourth as an assistant coach on Bentley's staff.
Colvard has been an integral part of a coaching staff that has led the Falcons to back-to-back Atlantic Hockey Championships in 2025 and 2026, resulting in the first two NCAA Tournament appearances in program history. Bentley achieved another first in 2025-26 by winning the AHA regular season championship.
Within the program, he is involved in recruiting and coaching the defensemen and penalty kill units.
In each of his three seasons, Bentley has led Atlantic Hockey in fewest goals allowed per game and ranked in the top-10 nationally each season. The penalty kill units have been ranked 9th (2023-24), 21st (2024-25) and 16th (2025-26) in the last three seasons.
Colvard joined the staff prior to the 2023-24 season after he spent the previous five seasons as an assistant coach in the United States Hockey League.
"I am thrilled to add Riley to our hockey program's coaching staff. I have known Riley for many years and have watched him grow tremendously as a coach and a leader during his time in the USHL," Bentley head coach Andy Jones said upon his hiring. "He has a strong work ethic, is detailed oriented, and has a passion for both player development and recruiting. We are excited to welcome Riley and his wife Mariah to the Bentley community."
Colvard was an assistant coach with Des Moines in 2022-23 and helped the team reach the league playoffs.
Prior to that, he served as an assistant coach and director of scouting with Sioux Falls for four seasons, from 2018-22. He helped lead the Stampede to the 2019 Clark Cup as USHL champions.
His first stop as a coach was as an assistant with the Minnesota Wilderness in the North American Hockey League for the 2017-18 season.
A native of Centerville, Minnesota, Colvard is a 2017 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Stout where he played for four years.
